Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Domestic greetings fellow progheads! Once again the concert closet has returned to the "good ol' USA" in the search for all things prog. Perusing a map with a keen eye and eager ears, I am led to the left coast where I have found great music and excellent bands in the past...so the question is; do I feel lucky? Why, yes as a matter of fact I do--lucky and blessed.

Curiosity may have killed a few cats, but it has brought me some great progressive music--and this week is no different. Fitting that as we enter a new week and approach a new month while encroaching on a new season, I am enjoying the sounds of New Sun.

New Sun is a prog band performing what they call "dynamic heavy progressive rock that is...cinema for the ears." Well alright then...consider my attention grabbed. Cinema for the ears is a visual I can certainly appreciate and enjoy. New Sun hails from the Silicon Valley, so let us discover together if northern CA is a leader in something other than high-tech innovation...

Taking a slightly different approach to the buffet this week, I am sampling servings from New Sun's 2012 release titled "Damage Done." In an attempt to come off randomly, I start in the middle of the disc with a tune called "Miscreants." The song opens easy enough; vocals leading into a smooth guitar riff and drums filling the sound out. I get a sense of Alan Parsons Project meets Kansas on this track; there is depth and emotion backed with strong guitar and percussion. New Sun shines in the "Not Your Father's Prog" section of the garden--and that is remarkably refreshing out of the gate.

My next sampling is the first cut on the disc called "Shards in the Sand." Another opening on the mellow side. New Sun places as much emphasis on the vocals as they do the instrumentation...a trait some bands fall short on. New Sun plays deep and a bit dark...the music hits you square but it is not a fatal blow--more akin to a soothing darkness falling over an unsuspecting crowd...you are at peace and feeling content, unaware of the black clouds racing across the horizon. To paraphrase the warning on the passenger side rear view mirror, the sounds of New Sun are much deeper than they appear...

Liner Notes...New Sun is Chris Trujillo drums and vocals, Chris Elio vocals, Christopher Scott Cooper guitars, vocals, and keyboards, and Alex Kley bass. Side Note: Alex may want to change his name to a variation of Chris to avoid confusion. New Sun first shone in 1993, founded by D.L. Erickson and Christopher Scott Cooper. The band went through several mood swings and different persuasions of progressive music in the beginning, and Erickson ultimately left the band to pursue his personal tastes and interests for ambient music and guitar craft. Like many new bands out of the gate, New Sun continued to mature and grow, adding influences of Tool, Pink Floyd, and Porcupine Tree. Alex Kley left the band only to come back into the fold as New Sun continued to find its identity.

More collaboration and experimentation led to two singles being released in 2009...both of which are on Damage Done. Chris Elio became a member of New Sun in 2010 as New Sun found itself treading on new soil in the prog garden. New Sun has more tricks up its proverbial sleeve and the promise of a new release in 2014 that takes the band and listener in yet another direction.

My third listen for review this week is a song called "Antigravity." New Sun marks it territory with a trademark guitar intro leading to a strong vocal opening. I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the strength of the lyrics New Sun wraps with music in these songs. In the prog world lyrics can sometimes be overlooked for the sake of unbelievable guitar work, although some bands (very few if I may allow my "prog snob"attitude to bleed through) master both the music and the lyrics...see King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, and Pink Floyd. While it may be premature to chisel the name New Sun onto that stone, strong lyrics entwined with the proper accents of guitars, drums, and keyboards make New Sun an outstanding choice for both the classic prog fan and the novice listener looking for a music education.

The cut posted here is the title cut, "Damage Done." I thought this was the best way to introduce you to the band and the sound. Despite being a live performance the recording is clean and crisp. Chris Elio cuts right through the guitars to deliver a strong vocal performance and the drums keep everybody reigned in. New Sun has been through several personnel, mood, genre, and attitude changes...and managed to emerge all the better for it. Learn more about New Sun at http://www.new-sun.com/. Just remember to have an open mind, a fresh attitude, and a zest for the latest harvest from a new section of the prog garden.

Once again fellow progheads new ground has been broken and new sounds unearthed. One week seems like such a short time to dig deep into the heart and soul of a prog band...although it does whet the appetite for more. New Sun has cultivated a sound that draws from classic prog while being able to stand up on its own. Do yourself a favor and buy the CD, then take a long ride to nowhere in particular and listen to it repeatedly...could be a cure for road rage.

I hope you enjoyed this new wing of the concert closet; reviewing not only a band but a particular CD is new territory for me and I hope you enjoyed the reading as much as I enjoyed the listening and the writing. New Sun is developing a sound that rides all three rails; deep lyrics, strong vocals, and exceptional instrumentation. The mood is deep and thought provoking--which is always a plus in my book. Cinema for the ears indeed...until next week...

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Been stateside too long...time to get the concert closet back on the road..and hello once again fellow progheads! I have this urge to burn some frequent flyer miles and enjoy the international thrill of searching for all things prog. Having already been in most time zones and on much of the dry land this planet has to offer, I decided to find a different spot on the map to mark with a location pin...and ended up in Greece. Welcome to the prog sounds of Verbal Delirium.

Verbal Delirium is a name that paints many different pictures on the inside of my eyelids...everything from vocal bedlam and the screeching sounds of my tenth grade biology teacher, to the cacophonous crescendo at the end of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life." Billing themselves as an art rock, alternative progressive band from Athens, Verbal Delirium has entered the prog arena on a loud note...so let us go to the Acropolis together and check these guys out...

Moving to the buffet this week with a Mediterranean swagger, I immediately find a song called "Disintegration." Keeping with the Acropolis theme I am quite intrigued. The piece opens darkly; you can feel the tension building as the guitars lead you steadily toward the inevitable drum explosion that fills your head. The twisted, macabre, carnival-like keyboards that show up randomly are quite captivating; you can't help but look over your shoulder for the evil clown. The vocals are entwined with the keyboards
a la Iron Butterfly...the song flows over with neo prog and classic rock all at once. There are traces of vintage Genesis and Radiohead here...Verbal Delirium comes straight at your temple but doesn't knock you unconscious.

Strolling back to the buffet to refill my plate, I find a curious number called "Lullaby." The song opens with guitars and keyboards almost dripping from the speakers like a leaky faucet. Think Alan Parsons producing a Yes album and you are on the right wave length. This song projects a more mellow mood although you sense a monster under the bed waiting to grab your ankles...Verbal Delirium unites excellent vocals with delicate instrumentation all the while keeping you on the edge of your seat waiting for the detonation. The beauty of it is that while it never comes in a fatal hit, you walk away feeling sated rather than cheated--an extraordinary mental bait-and switch...

Liner Notes...Verbal Delirium is currently Jargon on vocals, keyboards, and composing, Nikitas Kissonas on guitars, Nik Michailidis on bass, Tolis Liapis on drums, and Elsa Papeli playing cello. Verbal Delirium started in 1999 and went through multiple line up/personnel changes as the identity and flavor of the band unfolded and developed like a full-bodied wine. Their first album, "So Close And Yet So Far Away" was recorded in 2009, with Verbal Delirium delivering a prog style with hints of King Crimson, Muse, Procol Harum, and a metal flavor leaning toward Spock's Beard. Almost chameleon-like, Verbal Delirium has roots shooting throughout the prog garden, with a sound that runs the gambit from Kamelot to Gentle Giant.

My third and final serving from the buffet this week is a song called "10,000 Roses." Another composition that makes it challenging to put Verbal Delirium in a specific prog category, this tune opens with a flute reminiscent of Jethro Tull,only to head straight toward Dream Theater territory. The keyboards will wrap you in a straight jacket and the guitars will thump the back of your head just enough to make the universe you are used to seem as though it has loosened its gravitational pull on reality...

The clip posted here is called "Sudden Winter." This is a good starting point for the novice listener; the keyboards come in subtle and delicate with vocals that are smooth as corduroy pants. The song creates a feeling of comfort and safety, as if Jargon has built an invisible shield around you with words and poignant piano playing that meshes so well with the guitars it is hard to separate one from the other. This is a piece of music to play whether the snow is six feet deep in December or the moonlight is dancing on a rippled lake in July...learn more about Verbal Delirium at http://www.reverbnation.com/verbaldelirium

One more week in the record books fellow progheads, and seven days farther from home as I continue this whirlwind tour in my search for all things prog. One of the more remarkable aspects of my journey across this great expanse we call a planet--with all of her imperfections, differing points of view, crazy weather, violence, and random absurdity--is the incredible music everywhere just waiting for discovery. I have touched down on every continent (although admittedly not every country carved out of them) and I am fascinated with the prog music echoing off the landscape. The progressive sound has many moods, temperaments, feelings, and attitudes...and they are all worth listening to and appreciating. Don't know where the closet is taking me next week but I am positive it will be worth the price of admission. Fill your lungs with the freshness that is Verbal Delirium and prepare yourself for the next leg of this excursion...until next week...

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Another Tuesday, another prog post...hello again fellow progheads! Spring may be fighting to stay indoors this year, but I am ready to open the windows and crank it up! Sun is hanging in the sky a little longer, grass is greening up nicely, birds are chirping the arrival of the day at 4:30am...time to embrace short sleeve season! What better way to celebrate sunshine and rainbows than an adult dose of progressive metal? Welcome to the sounds of By The Stone.

Hailing from the Boston/Worcester music scene, By The Stone is a"...dark melodic progressive metal band." With traces of Tool, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Metallica, and a touch of Uriah Heep, By The Stone truly plays a cornucopia of progressive metal. I haven't visited the dark world of prog for a while, so with a car ash tray full of quarters I traveled east on I-90--aka the Mass. Pike--anticipating a prog head thumping that might crack the rear view mirror...

Feeling the urge to do a bit of carbo-loading, I hit the buffet hard and fast this week, starting with a song called "Hubris." The guitar/bass opening riff is quickly joined by the rest of the band and flows down a calm stream...but ultimately (as the title suggests) the song paints a dark image of arrogance and power. The drum hitting the interior of your skull with just enough force to allow the guitars to shred your ears a bit is an excellent touch. Certainly a dark start and By The Stone has proven with this opening they are a talented group with more to offer than just loud noise...so far so good...

Going back for a second serving I find "Jericho." A definite taste of Dream Theater here; the opening takes me to "Scenes From A Memory." By The Stone may reside in a far, dark corner of the prog garden but their roots run deep. This song starts out slow and calculated yet you can feel the adrenaline rush building in the vocals while the guitars and drums are just chomping at the bit. By The Stone has taken an alternate route with their interpretation of prog metal; my rear view mirror may not crack but at least the windows are
rattling...

Liner Notes...By The Stone started in 2004 with Jim Miller playing keyboards and vocals, Rob Miller on bass, and Sean Daudelin on drums. Matt Murphy joined the party in 2006 playing guitar and adding to the vocals, and the band known officially as [by the stone] was born. Releasing their debut EP in December 2012, By The Stone hit the road for some extensive touring throughout New England to support and promote a fine piece of vinyl.

My third selection from the menu this week is a song called "Without The Sun." The signature darkness opens with pulsing drums that bounce off the inside of your head like WWE wrestlers throwing each other at the turnbuckles. The vocals leap through the walls of sound intermittently, while guitars tie a rope around the entire piece. There is a tribal feel to the music that is energizing, eerie, and freeing all at once. By The Stone has come at the metal side of prog through a much different lens...the view is dark and ominous at times while the sound can be simultaneously uplifting and gut wrenching. The prog garden has extended another acre and planted a new crop...

The clip posted here is the earlier reviewed "Hubris." I thought this would make for an excellent crash course in discovering a different side of dark melodic progressive metal. By The Stone states on their website they are "...attempting to write the latest chapter in a book that Pink Floyd started over 40 years ago." While there is a flow to the story, the listener can detect subtle nuances in the storytelling indicative of a change in authorship...and that is not a bad thing. Learn more about By The Stone on their website, http://www.bythestone.net/index.jsp

OK fellow progheads, let this one marinate a while. By The Stone has brought a fresh new feel for metal prog to the genre--not so much pushing the envelope it is delivered in as expanding the boundaries it grows within. There are metal prog bands that fall in love with the ear-splitting concept of noise for the sake of noise, and then there are prog bands that approach metal from an entirely different angle and shine a light in an area of your head previously unexplored. Well, I am running out of toll money and I'm too far from home to walk...lucky for me the concert closet travels anywhere...until next week...

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Thanks for coming back fellow progheads! I went off on a lark this week and traveled southwest to Texas just to check out a prog band with a sound that drips of classic prog style and oozes with raw energy. Never mind that my journey was only one time zone to the left--this was a week nothing short of amazing! I may never get used to snake skin boots, but I can definitely get used to the sounds of Scale The Summit.

Houston Texas is home base for Scale The Summit, a young and talented quartet challenging all the paradigms, norms, and corporate mindsets that believe it takes decades to build a cohesiveness and bond to produce the sound this band pushes through my Bose Acoustimass System. I pick up traces of Yes, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, and Porcupine Tree. Don't be misled into thinking Scale The Summit is a mirror reflection of these prog giants--they are as unique as snowflakes in Hawaii. Scale The Summit has cultivated an original sound that defies classification and absolutely stands alone. A self described "progressive adventure metal" band, Scale The Summit conjures up some 60's-like animation in the mind, no? Let's get a ticket and go for a ride...

Moving quickly to the front of the prog buffet line this week, I start with a song called "Atlas Novus." The soothing feeling of the guitar is almost immediate; the art of speed embraced by tranquility. This has a strong flavor of Yes going off on one their famous tangents or perhaps The League of Crafty Guitarists leading the listener down the path of prog bliss. The bass and drums chime in with just enough to fill the piece to the rim without forcing anyone to step on the other. An outstanding start to what feels like a marvelous week...

My second choice is a song called "Black Hills." The opening jumps right in; no sense wasting time with formalities when there is prog to be played. Scale The Summit thumps you a bit with this one; the drums and bass come forward a bit but not so much as to overshadow the hard hitting guitar work. The pulse you feel is not your own--your blood is flowing through your veins rhythmically courtesy of Scale The Summit.

Liner Notes...Scale The Summit is Chris Letchford and Travis LaVrier on guitars, Pat Skeffington on drums, and Mark Michell on bass. The band began to take shape in 2004 on the left coast; Chris and Travis were in L.A. attending The Musicians Institute and hooked up with Pat. Shortly thereafter one Jordan Eberhardt completed the quartet--only to be replaced later by the aforementioned Mark Michell. The band moved to Houston in 2006 and cut their debut release...and the rest, as they say, is prog history. Some Fun Facts to ponder: The average age of the band members hovers around 22, and Chris and Travis build their own custom guitars...

Serving number three from the prog feast this week is a tune called "The Olive Tree." The Twilight
Zone-ish opening takes the unsuspecting listener--oh so innocently--straight into a progressive guitar hailstorm. The time changes are a thing to behold; John Petrucci would be proud. "The Olive Tree" is the song to play when you need a reminder that the baton of progressive music has been safely passed to the next generation...

The clip posted here for your listening pleasure is called "Odyssey." Scale The Summit hits hard and fast with this song...everyone lays their emotions out right from the get-go. Of course it wouldn't be Scale The Summit without time changes, tempo swings, and an emotional cyclone tossing you around like a Lego building in the hands of Godzilla...strap yourself down and enjoy the ride. Learn more about Scale The Summit at http://www.scalethesummit.com/

Once again fellow progheads seven days have fallen off the stop watch like so many raindrops...and in an odd way we are the better for it. Scale The Summit entered the prog garden with a tiller, turned the soil, and planted a sound that is so distinctive, unique, and exceptional as to be the square prog peg you can't fit in the round rock hole. I have often heard it said (and repeated it once or twice myself) that youth is wasted on the young...however in this instance I believe youth has been a brilliant student in the prog classroom. Respecting the parameters of the genre while pushing the boundaries is a gift for both the artist and the listener. Now about these snakeskin boots...until next week...